Advancing the Best of Burroughs

Because of the vision, commitment and generosity of alumni and their families, Burroughs' traditions of excellence span four generations. Together, this community preserves and advances the Burroughs traditions they love the most — and endowed funds are an optimal way to ensure that the best of Burroughs continues forever.

Our Fine Arts Department has been the beneficiary of several such gifts, which support the school's tradition of learning through and living with art.

Joanna Collins '47

A wonderful example came from the late Mr. and Mrs. Sidney S. Cohen who established a fund for the purchase and display of artwork for the Burroughs permanent art collection. The collection grew under the direction of Joanna Collins '47, who taught painting and drawing at Burroughs for 36 years, chaired the Painting and Drawing Department (later the Fine Arts Department), and was curator of the school's fine art collection.

Upon Joanna's death, more than $1 million from her estate was given to endow the Fred Dreher-Joanna Collins Chair in Fine Arts. This chair honors Joanna and her mentor, former Painting and Drawing Department chair, teacher and sculptor Fred Dreher, who began teaching at Burroughs in the 1940s. (At this writing, Burroughs has nine endowed chairs, each of which provides an incentive for excellent teaching and enriches the curriculum and methods of instruction at JBS.)

Fred Dreher

Another major gift for the arts came from Kim Kuehner '71 in memory of his sister Kerry Kuehner '68. Kim's gift refurbished the fine arts building, built a new art gallery and endowed the building in perpetuity. The glass-enclosed gallery space in the Kerry S. Kuehner Fine Arts Gallery is dedicated to student and alumni artwork.

In addition, an anonymous donor established an art purchase fund in honor of the late Frances T. Martin, artist and wife, mother and grandmother of Burroughs alumni. Because of this and other generous gifts, the school's permanent art collection now stands at more than 300 works.

Each of these funds — the Cohen and Martin acquisition funds, the endowed chair and the Kuehner gift — strengthens the work of Burroughs Fine Arts Department and impacts current and future students and faculty. And there are many opportunities beyond the arts!

Please contact Ginger Imster at gimster@jburroughs.org or 314-993-4045, ext. 256 to explore how your estate planning can benefit a Burroughs program that had a lasting impact on you or a loved one.